When Maren Walvik Johnsen took a pap smear for the first time, she was told that everything was normal. But the test was misinterpreted, and a year and a half later she was told that she had cervical cancer with spread.
She told the story in the TV 2 program “Norway behind the facade”. She has also been a guest on the Dagsrevyen on NRK.
Her story is going viral on social media, which has led to her receiving an enormous amount of feedback.
– It is absolutely fantastically pleasant. They are exclusively positive and supportive, she says.
– It gives me energy to continue doing things that are important and make me happy, the 28-year-old also says.
CELL POISON: Here, Maren Walvik Johnsen receives chemotherapy. The doctors have given her an estimate of how long she has left to live. Photo: Marte Christensen / TV 2
– Hard to hear
The doctors have given the 28-year-old an estimate of how long she will live.
Had the cancer been discovered earlier, the situation would have been different.
Walvik Johnsen says that there are also many people who share similar stories to her own.
– It is very hard to hear from the girls who have experienced the same thing. Several people have shared exactly the same stories, she says and continues:
– It is strong, and it emphasizes how important it is to speak out loud about bringing about a change.
New tests
The change she refers to will take place on 1 July this year. Then all cell samples must be tested for HPV, also those between 25-30 years of age.
From before, only women in the age group 30-69 have been tested for HPV.
– It should have come earlier, she says.
Maren’s story could have been completely different if her pap smear had also been tested for HPV in 2020.
– Then the pathologists would have looked more closely for cell changes, as they would have known that I had high-risk HPV. In my case, the cell changes would then have been discovered, or at least followed up earlier, she says.
Maren hopes the case contributes to more people checking themselves.
– My impression is that it seems that the case has created an increased focus on women having to check themselves. It is one of the most important and finest things, she says.
– It is vital to take the test
After Maren’s story became known, many women have also contacted the Norwegian Cancer Society about the Pap test.
– We get an extremely large number of questions from young women about whether there is any point in taking a pap smear and joining the cervical program. They feel that it is 50-50 likely that they will get the right answer to their test or not, says general secretary Ingrid Stenstadvold Ross.
– To that I have to say: It’s a joke, it’s vitally important that you go and take this test, she adds.
VITAL: Secretary General Ingrid Stenstadvold Ross of the Norwegian Cancer Society believes it is vital to take the Pap test. She believes the margin of error is low. Photo: Jonas Been Henriksen / TV 2.
She says that the cervical program ensures that 700 women do not get cancer every year.
Therefore, it is important that women continue to follow the program.
Ross believes that the overall margin of error for Pap smears is very low.
The margin of error is 0.01 per cent, according to the Norwegian Cancer Society.
– If we had thought the margin of error was 50 per cent, we would never have carried out the “Check yourself” campaign and pushed this message, she says.
Ross is happy that progress is still being made in the area. She says that HPV testing will make the detection of cervical cancer even safer.
– It’s really good. The system is about to become even better than it has been, says Ross.
